The Boy
by SisCo Kid
Summary: Kenichi is growing from the boy he used to be, into a man. Shigure is fighting with her growing feeling for him and wondering if expressing them would be wise. He only has eyes for Miu after all...
1. Chapter 1

SisCoKid: I love this manga!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1

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'The boys grown.' Shigure mused, noting his counters to her endless attacks. Granted, she was going super easy on him, but it was impressive none the less. He was no longer just blocking, but waiting, looking for an opening to strike back.

'Test time.' She increased the intensity and smiled as sweat began to pour down his face. The smile faltered when instead of freaking out like he usually did, he gritted his teeth and fought to start countering her again. Her sword lowered and her mouth hung slightly agape, as she examined him closely. It was hard to believe this was the same boy who was basically dragged here two years before. For a split second, the boy's fist was aiming for her face. She quickly regained herself, dropped to the ground, and swiped her feet out.

Kenichi fell back on his butt. Shigure was already back on her feet, she swung down, bashing him on the head with a wooden spoon.

"Still too......slow." She expect him to rub his head and look dejected after such an onslaught. Instead, Kenichi stared back at her with a face set with determination. A fire was in his eyes, that of which she wasn't used to. It was exactly like a moment ago when he fought to keep up with her as she increased the difficulty.

'Hes reached a new level....' It was a bittersweet feeling. At one end, he was getting stronger and the fruits of all his torturous training were starting to burst out, but she was sad as well. She had grown used to his bumbling cowardice towards training with swords, or armed opponents. It made it easy to discern him as a boy and not the man he was quickly becoming. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would someday be a master, but with his recently growth, there wasn't any telling when it would happen. The threat of both Yami and their disciples in Yomi were definitely a good thing for Kenichi. Everybody needs a rival, or goal to strive for and overcome. Speeds growth up.

'.....' What was that feeling though? Even though it was only for an instance, that feeling was a weakness. It was less than the blink of an eye, but she had let her guard down. That was unacceptable. Shirgure was far from immature, she understood those feeling as those of infatuation. What she didn't know, was when it became so strong, so strong as to distraught her in a fight. When did her initial affections of a sister, turn to the sick longing in her now.

Shigure dropped her wooden spoon.

A question mark popped up above Kenichi's head. He stood silently waiting for Shigure's instruction to continue their training.

"We're....done." Shigure turned and jumped to the roof top.

"Ummm okay..." Kenichi stratched his head, he was having trouble understanding what she meant.

Ryozanpaku masters never ended training early.

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For dinner that night, Shigure decided to eat by herself, sitting up above every bodies heads on one of the wooden beams that held the roof up. Tochumaru sat with her, devouring a piece of cheese. She herself was eating a rice ball.

She silently glanced down at the other tenets of the house. Kenichi, the boy was showing himself at the moment. The more immature masters were doing, so call 'training', as they stole more and more food from Kenichi's plate. He was struggling to eat as much as he could before it was gone. He had long since given up trying to fight them off. Miu returned to the table with a disapproving look and a another pot full of rice. She gave Kenichi two more spoonfuls to fight for. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, before getting up and leaving the room.

The smirk was long gone from Shigure's face. She was used to this feeling of unease in her stomach by now, but it didn't make it easier to watch the boy and Miu to get along so well. It only made sense though. Both of them were of the same age and constantly together, it only made sense that they would be so close. Wasn't the whole reason for the boy getting strong for Miu anyways. The uneasiness in her stomach, led way to frustration. It was beginning to grate at her.

Why couldn't SHE just have him? Surely, she was to his liking.......

'Not good.' She had a long journey she was leaving for tonight and she couldn't risk going with her mind as cluttered as it was.

Shigure ate the rest of her rice ball, picked up Tochumaru and then jumped down to the floor next to the door. She stood up from her landing and slid the door open.

"Bye Shigure!" Kenichi yelled from the table. He turned back to his food and screamed at the empty plate. He glared at the other master as they whistled innocently, walking away.

"Bye."

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Shigure stood naked in front of a mirror in her room. Nobody had ever called her beautiful, but nobody needed to tell her so, for her to know that. There were enough perverts, namely Ma who kept on reminding her how desirable she was. She was never one to care about such things though, they never mattered when she was young and that, for the longest time, remained so. No man had ever asked her out before. She gave thanks to her blade for that. It kept people at a safe distance, enemies and friends alike. Was that, what kept the boy away? Was he afraid of her because of her choice of arms?

'What if I don't want them so distance?' Shigure mused to herself as she pulled on some underwear. Surely, he could see past the sword and spot the lady behind it.

She noted the boys voice as she reached for her chain linked chest armor.

She paused.

"Come in." She then resumed putting on the chain link.

Shigure heard the door slide open, two foot steps and then a giant thud.

She turned and saw Kenichi laying in a puddle of his only blood that was leaking from his nose. This was the boy again, he was easy to deal with, she found no trouble viewing him as a little brother.

It was the man he was growing to be that she both longed for and feared. She wanted more time before she would have to deal with him.

She dressed herself first and then made her way over to her fainted disciple. Reaching in her pocket, she produced a small sample of Ma's secret reviving potion. One whiff of it and Kenichi was back on his feet in seconds. He looked around to survey his surroundings and relocated himself. Then he remembered why he was passed out.

"Stop inviting me in when your not dressed!" Kenichi tried looking intimidating and failed horribly.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked, completely ignoring his complaint. She would never stop that, it was too entertaining.

Kenichi looked confused.

"How did you know that I wanted to go?"

She walked past him and into the hallway, Kenichi following behind her.

"Why else would you......come to my room?"

Shigure would not allow Kenichi to see the hurt on her face. There was hurt in her eyes, a hurt that she could not allow him to see.

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SisCoKid: Well. That was fun. I'll update eventually. I have a lot of stuff I'm working on and I just wanted to get this out there before it got lost in my notebook.

Hope you all enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

SisCoKid: It is true, that this is not your standard couple. I never actually considered it until I stumbled upon a discussion on the mangafox messageboards. That started in me, a want to write a fic for this couple. Its been a few months, but I finally figured out a way to keep them in character and have it happen. Oh and so people know, I base this off the manga. So, somethings may be confusing in here if you have only watched the anime.

Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2

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After departing from the dojo last night, Shigure and Kenichi headed south. They passed through numerous towns, and eventually entered a deep forest, which they were still walking through even though it was now midday. Shigure was fine with such trips, they had been a part of her life for a long time now. Kenichi on the other hand was having some trouble staying motivated. The boy in him was whining over pain and crying out for a break, though the both of them knew he could endure far worse. If he could endure the combination of all the masters training at Ryozanpako, than walking for a day or two should be far from challenging. Shigure thought back to her own training, she couldn't recall ever being hindered by fear or doubt. Then again, her upbringing was different than most peoples.

She glanced over at the boy. Kenichi was dragging his feet and slouching his shoulders forward in a horrible posture, sweat was pouring down his face and his eyes held a foreshadowing of death in them. Shigure knew, while his body was willing, his mind wasn't quite there yet. She stopped walking and turn to him.

"Lets....stop here."

Kenichi dropped to his hands and knees, looking to the sky teary eyed. One of those little imaginary white bunnies with a flag ran by him.

"Salvation!"

She began rummaging through her pack. She withdrew two wooden spoons and threw one to bonk him on the head.

"Wha, what? WAIT!" He jumped to his feet, magically energized. "We've been walking for hours, non stop and as soon as we take a break.....YOU want to train?" Kenichi exclaimed with disbelief.

"I said we would stop, not break."

She dropped into a stance, spoon in hand and ready to lunge. Kenichi waved his hands in front of his face as he frantically tried to reason with her to refrain inhumane treatment.

"Pick up your spoon or.....be ready for pain."

She took one step and he practically dove for the spoon, preparing himself to prevent said pain. Tears were streaming down his face.

"I thought I tagged along to observe and help you! Not die on the way there!" He cried out as she descended upon him and forcing him this way and that. She noted, that he was getting better at observing his surroundings. He didn't let himself get cornered so easily and he kept a better eye out for roots sticking out of the ground, sticks, and other things that could easily be hazardous during a fight. There was a point in the training when the boy died away and the man emerged. It was quite noticeable when his confidence increased and his movement became less wasteful. The fire in his eyes was enough to make her second guess if this was the same boy she was just fighting moments before.

'Concentrate.' It frustrated her to no end. Not being able to completely concentrate during a fight and keep a cool head, especially for a sei user like herself. Besides for animals, she never quite had such an attachment to worry about. She suppose, it again went back to her upbringing. Her father had loved her, there was no doubt about that, but he never showed it like a normal father would. He never even gave her a name. Training in the past and even fights as well, she could always withdraw her emotions. She never cared about hurting her enemies that bad and master Kousakas had been a master like she now was. Tough enough that she need not worry about the outcome, no matter how much she dished out.

Things were different lately. She worried as she practiced with her disciple. Even with a wooden spoon, she knew more than one way to kill a man with it. It was more than that though, she thought of other things related to her disciple, things better left for dreams, not during the heat of training. By drifting off mentally in training, she felt like she was doing him a disservice. Mid attack, she took away his spoon and put both of them back in her pack. Kenichi remained in his stance, now spoonless.

"Wait, what! why did we stop?" It took Kenichi a moment to even realize they had stopped. He looked at his teacher with confusion.

"We have to keep moving." She lied. They were in fact, ahead of schedule, but it wouldn't hurt to keep moving.

Kenichi jogged up beside her, keeping her pace.

"We just started training though. We were barely at it ten minutes!"

She glanced over at him.

"What did I....just say?"

He hung his head in defeat, a black cloud of depression descended on him. Shigure turned away. It pained her not to train with him when he wanted it so bad himself, but she also had a duty to fulfill on this trip. It would prove wise, not to screw up her mind anymore than it was already screwed. She wasn't only about to fight a strong opponent, but she would also have to defend the boy as she fought. She had no room for distractions during fights, especially not with a disciple to watch over.

"Is there something/""There is nothing wrong!" Shirgure cut Kenichi off before he could finish his question.

Question marks popped up above Kenichi's head.

"I was just asking if there was something to eat...." Kenichi clarified.

"Oh." Shigure sweat dropped. Socializing was never her strong point. She found her self in awkward situations like this more often than she would like.

"I'm guessing there's something wrong though now." His eyes were narrowed suspicion.

Shigure refused to turn and talk to him. She had trapped herself, but she would be damned if she didn't climb her way out of it.

An idea popped in her head. She reached in her pack.

"Cookie?" She threw it ahead of them a few yards. Kenichi seemed conflicted for a few moments, looking back and forth from Shigure to the cookie.

Seconds later, he was on the ground with the cookie, eating it like a squirrel. Once properly done away with, he stood up and wiped his mouth with his arm.

"Now, back to what we were talking....." He stopped mid sentence as he watch yet another cookie take flight. Again, he was struck with internal conflict and yet again, he went after the cookie. Shigure watched as a squirrel got to the cookie first and the struggle that followed as Kenichi fought with it.

If there was one thing Shigure knew about males, it was that they truly did think with their stomachs.

This cycle continued until Shigure ran out of cookies.

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They were close now. One of her fathers swords, would hopefully be with the Yami armed master who was running a underground swords tournament. It was taking place in the remains of a old manor in the middle of this forest. Shigure had second thoughts about bring the boy at first, but she decided he was strong enough now to take down most armed users. He would actually prove helpful. Of course she might of neglected to communicate to him that he would be fighting and not just observing in the following day.

Tonight, they would camp out and rest for a little while.

She picked a tree and sat down next to it, leaning her back against it. Kenichi laid on his back next to her, using his pack as a pillow. They sat in silence for a while, until Kenichi's stomach started to growl.

"Any cookies left?" She glanced over to see his eyes on her pack.

"No...but I have these." She reached in her pack and pulled out four rice balls that Miu had made. Kenichi shot up into a sitting position. She handed three of them to the boy, his appetite was beginning to match that of Apachi. She could tell from the drool dripping from his mouth, the rice balls would soon be gone.

"Thank you!" He downed the first one with two bites and then slowed down his pace considerably. He met Shigure's eyes as he chewed. Shirgure raised an eye brow at him.

"Yes?"

"Is whats troubling you," he paused to swallow. "Something you cant tell your disciple? Because you've ended training early twice and that's unheard of, you were also very suspicious earlier...." An air of arrogance surrounded him, as he smiled victoriously at her. "You have no more cookies to distraught me now!" He followed his declaration with a laugh.

She didn't let it show on her face, but she was now the conflicted one. How was she to answer this question. It wasn't wise to lie to your disciple about such a serious matter, but what would happen if she told him everything. There wasn't exactly a manual for such a situation and she had never heard of such a thing happening before. How would he react to such a thing? Probably say no, but what if he replied positively to her affections? What would that mean? Sure he could act like a man at times, but he still was a teenagers and teenagers do change. The boy could grow to be a totally different man when he got older. Besides that, how would it hurt Miu? The girl denied it, but she most definitely also bore feeling for the boy.

'What to do?'

She was so lost in her own little world, she didn't notice that Kenichi was sweating bullets. He had crumbled under the pressure of Shigure's silent stare.

"Alright! Alright, I give! I can't take it anymore!" He was shaking as he finished off the last rice ball.

Sigure's lips curled up into a slow smile.

"Maybe someday....but not today."

Kenichi looked completely dumbfounded by the smile. She poked his head with her sword scabbard.

"Go to sleep. I'll wake you up two hours before dawn."

Kenichi's forehead scrunched together.

"I thought we were in a hurry to get here?"

She poked him again.

"Talentless disciples shouldn't....question their masters." Her words pierced an arrow through his heart.

Kenichi glared at her with clenched fist....then his lip began to quiver and he started to cry.

"I thought you guys stopped saying that!" He exclaimed between sobs.

Shigure rolled her eyes. She hit his neck with her scabbard, knocking him unconscious. She needed him to be well rested and not tired from a days travel.

'That's better.' She rolled him on his back and put his pack under his head. She noticed the distance between their faces was rather close. It was a teenage face, no longer boyish, but not yet manly. Her gaze dropped down to his lips. Curiosity got the best of her and she soon found her lips coming closer to his. There was the slightest of a touch and she quickly backed off and sat against her tree.

'Interesting.' She thought as she touched her fingers to her lips.

Interesting indeed.

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SisCoKid: Thanks again for the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

SisCoKid: Sorry for how long this took. Don't think I just wasn't working this. I've been through about 10 different drafts with this chapter. In the end though, I decided to follow someone elses idea for where to take the story. Thanks for those who messaged me. It motivated me to finally just sit down and get it done.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3

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Shigure closely examined the sword in her hands. While it was a well made sword, it was not one that her father had crafted.

She glanced down at the defeated master before tossing the sword up and slashing it in two with one stroke from her own blade. This had been another waste of her time.

Shigure ran from the room in search of her disciple. Kenichi was quite strong now, but he was also getting more reckless. He was taking more chances that he used to run from. That worried her.

She noted how empty the hall ways were. Meaning Kenich had done his job and done it well. This worried her even more. Shigure had entrusted in him the duty of created a distraction, so she could take on the master head on. He ended up not being very strong, but it was always good to take precautions.

Shigure found the first window and jumped from it out into the courtyard. There ahead was a mass of people encircling one person. That person was fighting them off, sometimes four people at once.

Shigure slowed to a stop and forgot what she was doing for the moment. Kenichi, he looked so gallant. What was this feeling? Happiness at the growth of a disciple? Admiration at his drive and commitment to not failing? Or was it possibly attraction?

shehad to knock herself back into concentration. It getting frustrating, all the confusion this was bringing on. Life used to be so simple. Hunting for her fathers swords, getting ambushed, and hanging out with Touchumaru and Apachai. All of that was turned around y one boy.

Shigure set her thoughts a side and ran forward to deal with the mob of people.

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1 minute later

Kenichi sat on the ground cross legged. He had a instruction manualin hand, "What to do while Your Master is Looking Bad Ass!"

Shigure stood beside him, re-sheathing her sword. "Thanks for your...help."

kenichi tossed the book aside."Took you long enough to come down and save me. Swords are sharp you know!" Kenichi exclaimed, betraying his calm demeanor.

Shigure raised an eye brow at her disciple as he stood up. "It didn't look like...you needed help."

"That's only because I've trained my body not to shake. Sword and thugs are two things I can never get used to." Kenichi shuddered at the thought.

A dark shadow crossed Shigure's face as she unsheathed her sword. "I can help you get used to it. The swords...at least."

Kenichi replied with a scream as he fled the scene.

Shigure re-sheathed her blade and followed him. It was time to head home.

They walked for six hours in relative silence. Shigure spent the time with her mind on the boys lips. She had never done such a thing before, never had such a desire. She wanted to do it again now, but this time when he was awake,

Occasionally Kenichi would mutter something about a random plant they were walking past. When he started debating on what plants would make a good meal, Shigure decided it was time to eat.

She pulled out four rice balls and tossed him three.

"...What?" She asked after getting a strange look from Kenichi.

"How do you do it? I could of sworn that sack was empty."

"I've learned...to travel light, but efficient." She pulled off a chunk of her rice ball and placed it on her shoulder for Touchumaru. Seconds later, Touchumaru was on her shoulder and eating away at his portion of food. Then he scampered away again.

"Are you sure that will be enough?" Kenichi asked after downing one rice ball.

"Yes. That should be more than enough...for Touchumaru."

"I wasn't talking about that. What about you? You have to be more hungry than that."

Shigure looked at him for a moment. Him showing concern for her had thrown her off. "No, I'm fine. I've train myself to deal with hunger."

Kenichi shook his head. "I wont be able to eat all this if you're hungry." He smiled and held out a rice ball to her.

Shigure's body reacted without another thought. She leaned forward and slowly bit down on the rice ball before leaning back and dropping it into her lap.

Kenichi was watching her with his mouth hanging open.

She looked and gave him a smile. "...thanks."

His face turned red and he simply nodded.

"...you okay. Your...face is red." She reached out and put a hand on his forehead. "Yea, you're pretty warm. You should...lay down." She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't stop, she desired too strongly to taste those lips again.

"I..I'm fine!" He resisted and tried to back away.

Shigure leapt forward and tackled Kenichi to the ground. Kenichi squirmed under her. His face was red as a tomato as he look away. "The boy...should listen to his...master." Shigure grabbed both sides of his face and made him face her. "I...can teach you a lot of things." She let her thumb traced down his face and across his lips. "But I'm no master in this area. We would be learning...together."

Kenichi eyes widened and then narrowed. He set her with a stern look. "Can't betray Miu."

Shigure inched closer to him and she felt his breath on her and the quickening of his heart beat. He stiffen as she leaned closer and licked his cheek. "This would...be training for Miu." This was of course a lie. She just wanted to taste the lips of a man. Not just any man, only this one. The one that she watched grow from a boy. And oh how he's grown. Yes, she loved Miu as family, but she needed this, at least just this one time.

She felt Kenichi erection throbbing against her leg. kenichi shut his eyes as tears began to flood out of them. She touched her own face and realized she was crying too. Shigure leaned in and licked the tears away. Then she got up off the boy. She couldn't do this after all. Like him, she could not betray Miu. No matter how much her body wanted it.

She picked up her sack and started walking. "Time...to go."

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SisCoKid: This chapter was a little on the short side, but what can you do. Thanks for reading. I'll try and get the next chapter out in less than half a year!


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